HEMET: Cardiff Kook model on calendar

Kevin Holldber, an employee of Casino Bicycles in Valle Vista, was featured on the back cover of the zany calendar dedicated to the odd costumes people have snuck onto the famous Cardiff Kook sculpture in Cardiff by the Sea, a beach community in the north San Diego County city of Leucadia.

Holldber, I was surprised to learn last spring, was the model for the work of commissioned surf art created by Hemet sculptor Matthew Antichevich in Valle Vista.

Surfers decried the form and named the sculpture, The Cardiff Kook, a derogatory term for a wannabe surfer. It's actually titled “Magic Carpet Ride.”

Views changed when pranksters began decorating it in costumes like wedding dresses and Chargers football garb. One night, the beach town woke up to see the Kook being swallowed by a shark.

Over time, people grew to love the sculpture and the constant change of costumes, which often were reported on television news shows. Tourists came to see it. The Kook became an economic boost to the community.

Every year, Fred Caldwell of Leucadia publishes a calendar to celebrate the Kook and its costumes. He donates a portion of the sales to charity. The 2013 calendar includes The Kook costumed as Tiger Woods, a soldier grasping a U.S. Flag and Jaques Kook-Steau in snorkeling gear.

The calendar also features a photo of now-identified Kook model Holldber and his quote from our PE.com video explaining how the statue quite effectively evoked the joy of a young, beginning surfer, and how it has been a positive landmark in the community.

Information about the $14 calendar, which sells in Leucadia stores, is available on the kookcalendar.com web site.

FACEBOOK HELPS FIND JEEP

Facebook played a big role in the return of the stolen Jeep Grand Cherokee that was beloved by a Hemet couple, Jamie Brewer and Ryan Darling.

On Sunday, Nov. 25, their gray, 1994 Jeep Grand Cherokee was stolen in Hemet. Brewer posted a plea on Facebook asking her friends to keep an eye out for the vehicle.

Her posting, with pictures, was widely shared by friends and many people involved in the Rebuilding Hemet Facebook movement.

On Tuesday, Nov. 27, a friend spotted the Jeep parked on a residential street on Hemet's east side. The car was recovered in good working order.

Brewer and Darling were thrilled, which I can understand. I also drive a 1994 Jeep Grand Cherokee. I like the vehicle a lot. Because of its age, is has a low resale value, perhaps less than $4,000, but it runs great and is worth a lot more to me. I would be quite bummed if someone took it.

Brewer noted how the social media site helped find the car.

“Facebook was a huge factor in recovering our Jeep,” she wrote. “The only reason she knew it was ours was because of the pictures I posted and everyone shared. The comments people made helped me realize that there are still good people left and not be angry with the world, thinking everyone is evil.”

She wrote that Darling's attachment to the Jeep is similar to mine. We both like the rugged vehicles much more than their dollar values. I'm glad they got it back.

“He's put so much work into his Jeep, it's not about the value money wise,” Brewer wrote. “It's the value to him. So we are very thankful, he has his Jeep back!”